Brown elder: medicinal properties and contraindications

Long ago, folk medicine uses red elder, the medicinal properties of which help to cope with many diseases. Possessing a low toxicity, this plant requires strict adherence to all recommendations for use and dosages.

Description

A red elder is a branched shrub or a tree not more than five meters tall with a wrinkled brown bark that has a violet tint on the young branches. Non-panicled leaves consist of 5-7 elongated pointed leaves of elliptical shape.

The flowers collected in the panicles sticking up, appear in late April. They consist of a spinal flap and a calyx having 5 denticles. The color of the flowers is greenish at first, then it turns yellowish white.

The tree acquires its decorativeness in July, when it is decorated with bright red shiny strawberries. They contain three bones and have a not very pleasant taste. Although birds love them. Biting berries, they contribute to the dispersal of seeds. The elder grows fast enough, starting to bear fruit already from the third year of life.

Thanks to its decorative features, as well as its stamina and unpretentiousness, this plant is very often used for gardening of city streets and squares. But the red elder is highly valued and in folk medicine. Medicinal properties have all parts of this plant - bark, flowers, leaves and roots.

Chemical composition

Elder flowers contain a lot of vitamin C, tannin, essential oils, organic acids, tannins, mineral salts and resins. Many of the above components are present in the bark of the plant, which besides them is rich in phytosterol, ceric alcohol and pectin substances. As a part of elderberry berries there are amino acids, ascorbic acid, fatty oils and sambunigrin, which causes the toxicity of fruits.

The elderberry is red. Beneficial features

Medicines created on the basis of this plant have long been used in folk medicine. Antipyretic, diaphoretic effect of elderberry helps with colds. Decoction of the roots is recommended for people with diabetes. With pustular skin diseases, hemorrhoids, burns and diaper rash, the use of floral infusions is very effective. Broth, prepared from elderberry, can help with stomach ulcers, hepatitis, normalizes metabolism.

Diuretic, decongestant, antihypoxic effect renders elder red. The healing properties of fresh berries are used in gynecology, as well as for the treatment of rheumatism and gout. They also have the ability to purify the body of radionuclides.

Caution - poison

Treating with the use of funds based on elder, you should be careful. The content of some hydrocyanic acid in this plant causes a decrease in the activity of enzymes, which can lead to tissue hypoxia (oxygen starvation). This is expressed in the appearance of dyspnea and increased breathing.

Against this background, the heart rate may slow down, blood pressure may rise, as a result of which the onset of complete cardiac arrest is not ruled out.

Especially poisonous are the unripe fruits of elderberry. The use of infusions and decoctions of them can cause excessive intoxication, which can disrupt the processes of oxidation and reduction in the tissues of the body, lead to a decrease in temperature and the general severe condition of man for a long period.

Recognized as official medicine and less dangerous is the black elder. Red, the medicinal properties of which, although not less attractive, should be applied very carefully, with strict observance of the technology of preparation.

Workpiece

With the therapeutic purpose, all parts of this plant are used. They are collected at different times. Flowers are harvested at the time of full bloom. They are laid out in a thin layer on a sheet of paper and placed in a well-ventilated shaded area. Dried flowers must be threshed or kneaded, then carefully sifted and removed pedicels.

Harvesting of the bark is carried out in the spring, during the sap movement. To remove it, make a knife transverse incisions at a distance of about 30 cm and connect them with the longitudinal. Use bark from young trees.

Infusions and decoctions

These funds are prepared only from dried raw materials, since the glycoside sambucinigrin in the plant is lost during drying. A decoction has a very effective effect, it retains the elderly red medicinal properties well. With the foot fungus, it is prepared as follows: two tablespoons of flowers are placed in a glass of water, brought to a boil and kept on low heat for 10 minutes. After the broth has cooled, add 500 ml of cold water to it. Put the legs in this solution and hold for 20 minutes. Do not wipe.

In a container of water (250 ml) add one teaspoon of dried elderberry flowers and boil for 5 minutes. Cool, drain and use for treatment. This is an excellent tool for inflammatory processes, it can be used to rinse your throat with sore throat and cough. Decoction of the roots is effective in psoriasis.

With many diseases, infusions from this plant help thanks to the numerous numerous elderly red medicinal properties. The recipes for cooking them are different and depend on the problem to be solved and the raw materials used.

As a sweatshop in the period of colds, as well as rheumatism, bronchial asthma can help infusion, prepared from two teaspoons of elderberry flowers, filled with boiling water (1 glass). It is insisted 15 minutes and is taken half the glass morning and evening.

When bronchitis is recommended infusion of elderberry bark. In 300 ml of boiling water, a tablespoon of bark is filled and infused for 2 hours.

People with gastric ulcer are recommended to take an infusion, prepared from ripe dried fruits (1 tablespoon of berries per 3 liters of boiling water) for a month.

Tincture

In different species, red elder is used. The healing properties of tinctures prepared on the basis of bark, flowers or fruits, help get rid of many diseases. There are several recipes:

• Fresh berries fall asleep three quarters in a three-liter jar and pour it over with vodka. Close the lid and put it in a dark place. In a month, the obtained tincture can be used for compresses or lubrication of problem areas for osteochondrosis, arthritis, displacement of the vertebrae or heel spur.
• One liter of white dry wine pour the elderberry cake in the amount of 200 g, leave to infuse for 2 days and drink with dropsy 10 ml each.
• In the elderberry flowers add alcohol (1:10) and insist in a dark place. After 10 days, drain the solution and take 30 drops every morning and evening for colds, rheumatism and bronchial asthma.

Application of elderberry red

From the berries of this plant prepare a delicious and healthy juice. It serves as a good preventive agent for various diseases. The berries are scalded with boiling water, squeezed juice out of them, put the sugar and bring to a boil. Drink 50 ml per day. Also, of the elderberry fruits, jams and jams are made to taste great.

Contraindications

In order not to cause negative consequences from the use of this plant, it is necessary to know what has red elderly medicinal properties and contraindications. The latter is especially important given the toxicity of the fruit. Caution should be observed when taking funds from elderberry people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases, children and pregnant women.

Red elder is not an official medicinal plant, so do not take risks and apply it to those who do not have experience in using such drugs. Better to trust proven medicines.